Beyond the Game – William Nottingham

Note: The following appears in the February issue of Orange: The Experience. For full access to all of the publication’s content, join IPTAY today by calling 864-656-2115.

Q. Where did you grow up?
A. I grew up in Kingsport, Tennessee. My family still lives there now.

Q. Who are the members of your immediate family?
A. I have one brother and one sister. My sister graduated from South Carolina two years ago, and my brother is a senior at Alabama. It’s a house divided. My dad went to Clemson too, so that’s why I chose to go here.

Q. Who is your biggest inspiration in life?
A. My grandfather. He always pushed us to be better. He always pushed us to be better people and be the best that we could become. He taught us to make the most out of our time in this world.

Q. Did you have any hobbies growing up?
A. I played pretty much every sport. I ran track and I played basketball and baseball and everything else. When I was around 10 years old, I gave everything else up so I could concentrate on golf.

Q. How did you first get involved with golf?
A. When I was about 10, my cousin and I would go out to watch my uncle play. He actually played for Clemson. We went out and watched him in a tournament one day, and I thought, “That looks kind of fun.” I went out there the next few days after, and that’s where I started.

Q. How has golf impacted your life?
A. The honesty and respect that you get from the game is important. No one is going out there and cheating. The people you play with in golf are all very respectful people, and you learn from them.

Q. What compelled you to choose to Clemson?
A. I loved the coaches a lot whenever I came on a visit, and they had awesome facilities. Other than the golf side, Clemson has great academics, and my dad and uncle went here, so I have always been a big fan. I never thought I would get a chance to play on the golf team, so it has been awesome.

Q. What is your major?
A. My major is finance. It is something in business that my dad recommended since it would be valuable in a lot of jobs after school.

Q. What is it like to be a student-athlete?
A. Obviously, it takes up a lot of time with practicing and trying to get study hours in and keeping good grades. Most students probably don’t understand what it takes to be a student-athlete, but it has been a lot of fun and I have enjoyed it a lot. You just don’t have much time to do anything else until offseason.

Q. What has been your most memorable Clemson golf moment so far?
A. It would have to be postseason last year. When we were at regionals, we finished second, so that was when I figured out we would be playing in the national championship. It is always fun to travel around with the team.

Q. What is your favorite thing about Clemson?
A. I would have to say the football. The football program is doing great, so that has been a lot of fun to keep up with and watch.

Q. What famous athletes have you looked up to most?
A. I like Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. They are a couple of cool guys who really look like they enjoy what they are doing and are doing really well.

Q. What is something most people don’t know about you?
A. I have broken my arms three times. I broke one arm once and the other one twice.

Q. What are your favorite things to do in your free time?
A. I like to hang out with my teammates and hang out with the new people I have met at the school. We like to go to Fike (Fieldhouse) and play basketball, so we can act like we’re good at another sport. Usually, the other guys beat up on us pretty good.

Q. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A. I would go somewhere with clear water like the Bahamas.

Q. What are you looking forward to most in the next years at Clemson?
A. I am looking forward to winning a national championship.

Q. What are your plans for the future?
A. It would be nice to play on the PGA Tour, which is the goal right now.